about ap

AP can make you stand out in the college admissions process and help you succeed in college.AP stands for Advanced Placement. Each year, high school students around the world who want to learn and achieve at the highest level become AP students. Through college-level AP courses, you enter a universe of knowledge that might otherwise remain unexplored in high school; through AP Exams, you have the opportunity to earn credit or advanced standing at most of the US colleges and universities.37 courses and exams across 22 subject areas, AP offers something for everyone.

Show your willingness to take the most rigorous courses available to you.

Emphasize your commitment to academic excellence.

Broaden Your Intellectual Horizons

Explore the world from a variety of perspectives, most importantly your own.

Study subjects in greater depth and detail.

Assume the responsibility of reasoning, analyzing, and understanding for yourself.

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How Do I Enroll?

AP Courses

Talk to an AP teacher or the AP Coordinator at your school about the course you want to take. Discuss the course's workload and any preparation you might need.

If you are a homeschooled student or attend a school that doesn't offer AP, you can still participate. Each year hundreds of students participate through independent study. Some states even sponsor online AP courses.

AP Exams

If your school offers AP, contact your AP Coordinator to register for the exams. He or she will order the necessary materials, collect fees, and let you know when and where to appear for the exams.

If you are a homeschooled student or attend a school that does not offer AP, you can still take the exams by arranging to test at a participating school. (Students in Taiwan should contact international@collegeboard.org.)

Call AP Servicesno later thanMarch 1 to get the names and telephone numbers of local AP Coordinators. Prepare a list of the exams you plan to take prior to calling so that the appropriate Coordinators can be identified

Contact the AP Coordinators identified by AP Services no later than March 15.

When calling Coordinators to arrange testing, make sure to tell them:

You are trying to locate a school willing to administer exams to homeschooled students or students from schools that do not offer AP.

You will use a different school code so your exam grade(s) will be reported separately from the school at which you test. (Homeschooled students will use the state homeschool code provided by the Coordinator on the day of the exam; students attending schools will use their school code.)

The exams you plan to take.

Once you locate a school willing to administer the exams, that school's AP Coordinator is responsible for ordering your exam materials, telling you when and where to appear for the exams, and collecting your fees, which he or she may negotiate to recover additional proctoring or administration costs. That school must administer the exams for you; it cannot forward them to you or your school for handling.